High schools | Going to School: Logan Stepp, West Jefferson

College choices: Kent State, Capital and Ohio Wesleyan top the list. He is interested in becoming an air-traffic controller

Mark Znidar, The Columbus Dispatch

Age: 17

Class: Senior

Grade-point average: 3.53 (National Honor Society)

Sports: Football, basketball and baseball

College choices: Kent State, Capital and Ohio Wesleyan top the list. He is interested in becoming an air-traffic controller

Question: Have you seen the movie Pushing Tin about air-traffic controllers?

Answer: I have seen the movie, but thatís not the type of controller I want to be. They were in the tower talking directly to the pilots. I want to work with planes on radar as they approach the airport. My brother, Mark, was a controller in the Air Force, and now he is a commercial controller. I went to Texas this past summer to shadow him. The movie was intense and crazy, but the atmosphere where my brother works is nothing like that. Itís calm. Itís professional; no one is goofing off. My brother guides airplanes as they approach and tells them when and where to land. Kent State is the only university in Ohio that offers that major.

Q: You led West Jefferson to two touchdowns in the fourth quarter in a 42-38 playoff victory last week. Are you accustomed to the pressure and responsibility that comes with being a quarterback?

A: This is the first year Iíve played quarterback in my life. I was a receiver last year. I concentrated on basketball as a freshman and sophomore and wasnít even on the football team. Iíve learned so much this year about leadership. You have to get teammates to believe in you. Coach (Shawn) Buescher looked me in the eyes last week and said, ďLetís go. Letís do this.Ē I talked to the line before the play and said, ďThis is our time.Ē The line was tremendous and got me into the end zone twice.

Q: Is there added pressure because this town loves the Roughriders?

A: I wouldnít say pressure. Our town embraces us. We love our fans. There is no better place to live than West Jefferson.

Q: What is it like being student-council president?

A: I look at it as opportunity to help. I was vice president of my class as a junior. I like the responsibility. Iím going to run for president of my student government class, too.

Q: What else do you do in school?

A: Iím a witness in our mock trial club. I also clean up the stadium the mornings after games.

Q: Do you get grilled by lawyers?

A: Weíve got a trial going where the school is suing the student body for staging a rebellion over the naming rights to the football stadium. Iím the representative for the student organization. Iíve got eight or nine pages of information to remember. You get cross-examined. I got interested after taking a criminal law class my junior year.

Q: Why clean up after a game?

A: Itís my choice. I like our stadium and want to keep it looking good. We arrive around 8 a.m. It takes only 20 minutes or so. Weíve got a lot of students volunteering through student council.

Q: Does that work ethic come from your family?

A: My father, Edward, is the kind of man who says, ďYou need to do thisĒ and ďYou need to do that.Ē He wants me to be more than a student and athlete.

Q: What do you do outside of school?

A: I work at my fatherís pizza shop, Santinoís Pizzeria, every Sunday from 4:30 p.m. until 10 p.m. I make pizzas. Iím not allowed to put the pizza into the oven. I put on the sauce and toppings. One day, we made about 40 pizzas in two or three hours.

Q: Can you throw pizza dough in the air and catch it?

A: My dad can do it really well, but I sure canít. I tried one time and my hand went right through the middle of the dough. I stick the dough in a machine that flattens it. Then we put the dough on a screen that trims the edges.

Q: You work in a friendís barn?

A: Yes, one day a week. Conor Powell and I get paid $1 a stall to shovel manure with a pitchfork. There are 10 stalls. You put the manure into a bucket and put straw and sawdust down to make it nice for the horses. Iím used to the smell.

Q: How can you concentrate in school with football being so hot and heavy?

A: I think Iím good at breaking things down. I focus on the moment. Thatís what the coaches teach us. I go with the flow and try to embrace things. When itís time for homework, itís time for homework. When it time for football, itís time to practice and study film. Ö I just do my best.

mznidar@dispatch.com

@MarkZnidar

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.